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Ships rounded up for Gwadar port opening

KARACHI: Although the government is all set for the ceremonial opening of the Gwadar port on Tuesday, authorities have failed to attract shippers or port users so far.

For the purpose of inauguration alone, the authorities have managed berthing of a few ships at the new port for a while. For this purpose, the port authorities have requested the owner of MV Yazdan to take their vessel to Gwadar, informed sources revealed to The News.

Yazdan was anchored at the Karachi Shipyard for more than a month for repairs, and renewal of certificates. Now, this ship has been moved to Gwadar with several containers (some empty and some filled with goods) from Karachi port for offloading at Gwadar port, sources said.

Authorities also managed docking of MV Sibbi of Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC) for the port’s opening ceremony. Practically, not a single importer has booked his cargo for the Gwadar port, sources said. No exporter or port user has expressed interest in the usage of the port, they said.

For the inauguration ceremony, authorities have managed the berthing of three ships, sources said. Though the circles associated with the shipping in the country did not deny the importance of Gwadar in the future, they said that a minimum 6-8 years were required for a port to develop into a busy port of call. It takes time, they said. Tuesday’s is not more than a political show, they maintained.

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